Author: M. Logan

Guess what? Get Your Freebie and Loganalogy has a newsletter now! 🧾🌳

Hey there!

If you signed up for one of my freebies recently—like 12 Mistakes New Family Researchers Make—you’re already part of the Loganalogy crew. 🙌

Didn’t get your freebie?

Get it here!

But now, I’ve got something new just for you…

📰 A short, sweet, and beginner-friendly newsletter that drops helpful genealogy tips, free resources, and tools to make your family history research easier (and way less overwhelming).

What to expect:

  • Genealogy guidance in plain English
  • Mistake-saving tools & cheat sheets
  • Updates on new blog posts and Etsy goodies
  • Zero spam. Zero drama.

Think of it as research help from a Gen X friend who’s been in the archives and survived to tell the tale.

You’ll see your first official issue on August 1, and after that, just a couple times a month.

And hey, if you ever feel like it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe anytime—but I hope you’ll stick around. There’s good stuff coming. 😉

Talk soon and remember, Share Their Stories!
Marlee @ Loganalogy 🌳

P.S. Got questions? Hit reply—I read every one.

Did you know most family stories are lost by the second generation?

Let’s rip the band-aid off:
By the second generation, most family stories are LOST.
Not just misplaced. Not “I-think-I-wrote-that-down-somewhere.”
We’re talking poof—gone. Disappeared. Like Aunt Jean’s secret pecan pie recipe. 😩

And honestly?
It’s heartbreaking. Because when those stories vanish, so does the wisdom, culture, and connection they carried.

Why Does This Happen?

It’s not because our families don’t care. It’s because life gets loud and fast, and storytelling isn’t exactly trending on TikTok. Here’s what really causes those precious stories to fade:

✨ Family conversations about our roots are becoming rare
✨ Storytelling takes a backseat to busy schedules
✨ Traditions fade as modern life moves in
✨ Nothing gets written down, so memories disappear
✨ We spend less time with older generations
✨ No one’s guiding the next generation to carry it all forward

Sound familiar?

But Here’s the Good News:

You have the power to break the cycle.
This year, let’s flip the script and be intentional about preserving our stories.

Here’s how to start (and yes, you can totally do this in your pajamas):

📝 Write down stories—even the small ones matter
🎙️ Record conversations with parents or grandparents (voice memos count!)
🌳 Build a family tree using digital tools or printable worksheets
📖 Journal your memories and what you’ve learned along the way

Your ancestors lived full, complex lives. Their experiences shaped your family—and you. Let’s honor them by telling their stories while we still can.

🔍 Want help getting started?
Check out the Loganalogy Shop for beginner-friendly genealogy worksheets and quick reference guides. Or visit Loganalogy.com for tips, tools, and 1:1 support.

Your family history deserves to be remembered. Let’s preserve it—one story at a time. 💛

Guess what? Loganalogy has a newsletter now! 🧾🌳

Hey there!

If you signed up for one of my freebies recently—like 12 Mistakes New Family Researchers Make—you’re already part of the Loganalogy crew. 🙌

Didn’t get your freebie?

Get it here!

But now, I’ve got something new just for you…

📰 A short, sweet, and beginner-friendly newsletter that drops helpful genealogy tips, free resources, and tools to make your family history research easier (and way less overwhelming).

What to expect:

  • Genealogy guidance in plain English
  • Mistake-saving tools & cheat sheets
  • Updates on new blog posts and Etsy goodies
  • Zero spam. Zero drama.

Think of it as research help from a Gen X friend who’s been in the archives and survived to tell the tale.

You’ll see your first official issue on August 1, and after that, just a couple times a month.

And hey, if you ever feel like it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe anytime—but I hope you’ll stick around. There’s good stuff coming. 😉

Talk soon and remember, Share Their Stories!
Marlee @ Loganalogy 🌳

P.S. Got questions? Hit reply—I read every one.

Discover Your Family History with Quick Reference Guides

You asked, and I delivered! If you’ve ever wished genealogy came with a quick-start manual (preferably without a 600-page history book attached), then this one’s for you. I’ve added brand new Genealogy Worksheets and Quick Reference Guides to the Loganalogy store, and yes—they’re beginner-friendly, printable, and very much “why didn’t I have this when I started?!”

🎬 What You’ll See in the Video

In the video clip, I give you a sneak peek of what’s inside:

  • The Family Group Sheet to help organize households in your tree
  • A Research Log to track your rabbit holes—I mean, discoveries
  • A Birth Year Estimation Cheat Sheet that makes census math way less painful
  • The ever-popular 50 ChatGPT Prompts for Genealogy to bust through brick walls (and creative slumps)

Why I Created These Tools

Let’s be real. Genealogy is fun… until it feels like detective work with zero clues and 18 spelling variations of “Smith.” These guides are designed to:

  • Give beginners a simple, visual way to start
  • Help seasoned researchers stay organized
  • Provide reference info that saves time and sanity (yes, I’m talking to the person re-Googling “1900 census column meanings” every other Tuesday)

I wanted these tools to be printable, affordable, and easy to use—whether you’re researching on a lunch break or teaching a grandkid how to build a tree.

How to Use Them

Print them, laminate them, slap them in a binder, or fill them in digitally—whatever fits your style. These tools work for personal projects, family reunions, or even genealogy clubs that need simple worksheets for new members.

🔍 Ready to start or simplify your research?
Check out all the new listings now in the Loganalogy Shop!

Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.

Break Genealogy Barriers: 5-Page ChatGPT Prompt Pack

Stuck in a genealogy rut? Break through brick walls, decode old records, and finally write those ancestor stories using this 5-page ChatGPT prompt pack made just for family historians. 🧓🏼🧾🌳

This printable PDF includes 50 beginner-friendly prompts to help you brainstorm new research angles, get location-specific help, and turn dry facts into memorable family narratives. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been researching for years, these prompts will help you ask smarter questions and get better results.

Created by Loganalogy, this guide includes a bonus cheat sheet, storytelling tips, and a beginner-friendly intro to ChatGPT for genealogy.

➡️ Download instantly and reuse.

Visit the Loganalogy store to grab your printable starter pack today!

Uncover Your Family History: Start Your Genealogy Journey

Ever opened your family tree and felt like you’re staring into a storybook you 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to read?

That’s how it started for me—and now I help others find the stories behind their surnames.

Your family history isn’t boring. It’s waiting for you.
✨
🧬 Want help starting your journey?

Visit Loganalogy.com and let’s build your family tree together 🌳

The Legacy of a Scotch-Irish Pioneer

John Logan was born in 1699 in Ahoghill, Antrim, Ireland1. (It is referenced that his father was from Restalrig, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland.) Restalrig is notable because my mother shared that my father named his ranch in Washington State “Restalrig.”

John Logan arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1717 and married Margaret Carr in 1723. Margaret, born in Massachusetts about 1703, remains a subject of ongoing research. The gap between John’s arrival and their marriage—six years—is a mystery still waiting to be unraveled. Together, they had eight children: seven sons and two daughters.

Service During the American Revolution

Two of their sons, John and Mathew, served under General George Washington during the battle for New York City in the American War for Independence. After the Continental Army became surrounded, Washington orchestrated a strategic nighttime evacuation to Philadelphia. John and Mathew likely endured the hardships of Valley Forge later on.2

Roots in Voluntown, Connecticut

John Logan founded the Logan family in Washington, Connecticut, and was descended from a lineage of Scotch barons. Their ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire, lent its name to the family. John immigrated with a group of Scotch Presbyterians led by Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a University of Glasgow graduate. After facing numerous challenges, the group traveled from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut. There, they purchased Volunteer Grants in Voluntown and established the Presbyterian church on Ekonk Hill.3

The Scotch-Irish Influence in Connecticut

“John Logan, the founder of the Washington family, was descended from a long line of Scotch barons deriving their name, Celtic in origin, from the ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire. He came from the north of Ireland with the Gordons, Kassons, Keigwins, Parkes, Wylies, and other Scotch Presbyterians, under the leadership of Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a graduate of the University of Glasgow.

Their party, after experiencing a great many unusual difficulties, came from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut, and buying up the Volunteer grants at Voluntown, forming the nucleus of the Presbyterian church Ekonk hill.”3

The Rising Sun Inn and the Logan Legacy

In 1748, John Logan built the Rising Sun Inn at 6 Romford Road in Washington, Connecticut. Originally a 1-1/2-story, five-bay lean-to house, it underwent significant renovations in the early 19th century. Matthew Logan, John’s son, expanded the house, adding three bays to the north, raising the roof to two stories, and incorporating a ballroom. The surrounding property features a historic barn, and photographs from the Sunny Ridge Historic District highlight additional barns that once stood behind the house.

A black-and-white postcard from July 1913 depicts the Logan Homestead—formerly the Rising Sun Inn—with its clapboard façade, dark trim, and multi-paned windows. The Gunn Historical Museum archives this image, offering a glimpse into the home’s storied past.5

Interesting Note: The Rising Sun symbol was associated with Edward III and appears in the arms of Ireland. It also served as a favorable omen for businesses and inns during that era.6

The Church on the Green
The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church
at Washington, Connecticut

We are related to the Hollister family. A Hollister Logan lived at the Logan homestead. I have a letter from her (actually, a friend wrote it for her as she was in her 90s.)

dvm_LocHist004193-00060-0.jpg
The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church
at Washington, Connecticut

Family Connections and Tragedy

John married Dorcas Root around 1771 after the death of his first wife, Margaret. Dorcas was previously married to John Royce; he died in 1760. Their daughter, Azubah, married John Logan, Jr. This makes John and Dorcas my double-sixth great-grandparents.

Dorcas died on 07 January 1777, at age 58. John Logan, Sr. passed away on 2 December 1777, at age 77, in Washington, Connecticut, during a year marked by a smallpox epidemic. His grandson, Matthew, also died that year at age 2. While it’s uncertain if smallpox caused their deaths, it remains a likely possibility.

The Logan Lineage

The Gunn Historical Museum in the Washington Green Historic District holds numerous Logan artifacts, photographs, and stories. My connection to John Logan was confirmed through DNA testing, initially via a Yahoo group and later through collaboration with a distant cousin—the President of the Clan Logan Society International. Together, we aim to uncover the link between John Logan and his Scottish origins.

Logan name variations include Loban, Lobban, Loben, Logan, Logane, Logen, Loggan, Loggane, Loggans, and Login.

Discover more about the Lowland Logans by clicking below:


Learn about the Connecticut Logans: https://amzn.to/4cyG14M

  1. The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
  2. The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
  3. A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
  4. A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
  5. The Sunny Ridge Historic District archives. ↩︎
  6. Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten’s History of Sign Boards, p. 118. ↩︎

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Discover Hidden Ancestor Stories Through Alternative Records

If you’re only using census records… you’re missing the soul of your ancestors’ story!

There’s a whole world of records out there just waiting to help you piece together the real lives behind the names.

As a Research Specialist, I dig deeper—uncovering documents that reveal personality, struggle, resilience, and real-life drama. That’s where the story lives.

🎶 Today’s vibe: Take On Me by a-ha — because I’m taking on the past, one ancestor at a time.

What story do you want to unravel?

Tracing Ancestral Name Changes: A Step-by-Step Guide

Name changes are one of the trickiest puzzles in genealogy. Whether it was an immigrant adapting to a new culture, a legal name change, or someone just wanting a fresh start—your ancestor may have gone by more than one name, and that can make your research hit a wall.

But don’t panic. You can still trace them with a little strategy and a lot of curiosity. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you untangle the mystery. 🧓🏼🧾🌳

Step 1: Start with What You Know

Before you dive into databases, start close to home.

🗣 Talk to Family:
Chat with older relatives and ask if they’ve heard of a name change, nickname, or a “funny story” about someone in the family who used a different name.

📄 Gather Documents:
Pull together birth, marriage, and death records, plus obituaries, immigration papers, and census records. You’re looking for any name clues, even small spelling changes.

Step 2: Search with Both Names

Your ancestor might have bounced between names, so cast a wide net.

🔍 Try Name Variations:
Use both the original name and the changed name in your searches. Check different spellings, shortened versions, and even middle names used as first names.

🧠 Use Soundex:
If you suspect the name changed phonetically (like Schmidt becoming Smith), use the Soundex system. It groups names that sound alike—even if they’re spelled differently.

🛬 Dig into Immigration Records:
If the name change happened after immigration, search passenger lists, naturalization papers, and ship manifests under both names.

Step 3: Look for Clues in Other Records

Sometimes it’s the documents of relatives or community records that reveal the truth.

📊 Census Records:
Check for gaps where someone “disappears,” then reappears later under a new name. That could be your ancestor mid-name-change.

📰 Obituaries:
Obits often list both names—especially if your ancestor was known by a nickname or changed their name later in life.

📁 Legal Name Changes:
Check courthouse records for official name change documents. These might be online, but sometimes you’ll need to call the county clerk.

📚 Local History & Newspapers:
Explore local books and newspaper archives for clues. You might stumble on an article or ad that includes both names or a backstory.

Step 4: Use DNA to Connect the Dots

If you’ve taken a DNA test (or can convince a cousin to!), you might find living relatives who are still using the original surname. DNA matches can point you to new branches—and maybe even a family member with the story you’ve been hunting for.

Step 5: Get Help if You’re Stuck

If you’re spinning your wheels, you’re not alone. Professional genealogists or family history researchers (like me!) specialize in tricky cases like name changes. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes makes all the difference.

Final Thoughts

Name changes aren’t dead ends, they’re just detours. With a little detective work and a few smart strategies, you can reconnect the dots in your family tree—even when someone switched things up.

Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.

A Beginner’s Guide: Preserve Your Family History Digitally

Starting your family history journey can feel overwhelming, but one of the most rewarding first steps is digitizing your old family photos. Those boxes of pictures sitting in your closet contain priceless family stories, and converting them to digital files opens up a world of possibilities.

Why Digitize Your Family Photos?

When you transform physical prints into digital files, you create something much more valuable than the original:

You make them accessible. Instead of digging through boxes every time you want to see a photo, your entire family can view them instantly from anywhere in the world.

You protect them from disaster. Digital copies stay safe even if floods, fires, or simply the passage of time damages your originals. Old photos naturally fade, crack, and deteriorate, but digital versions remain pristine forever.

You can share them easily. Want to show your cousin that photo of great-grandma’s wedding? Send it through email, text, or social media in seconds.

Three Ways to Digitize Your Photos

Option 1: Use Your Smartphone

The simplest approach uses technology you already own. Your phone can become a powerful photo scanner with the right app.

PhotoScan by Google Photos gives you professional results for free. This app automatically removes glare and straightens your photos, solving the biggest problems with phone scanning. Simply download it from your app store and follow the simple instructions.

Photomyne offers additional features if you want to scan multiple photos quickly. It includes editing tools and can handle several photos in one session, though it requires a small subscription fee for full features.

Keep in mind that smartphone scanning works best for photos you plan to view on screens. If you want to make large prints later, you might need higher quality scans.

Option 2: Buy a Scanner

A flatbed scanner produces the highest quality results you can achieve at home. These devices capture every detail and work perfectly for photos you might want to enlarge or print professionally later.

Most modern scanners connect easily to your computer and include software that guides you through the process. Expect to spend 30-60 seconds per photo, making this method slower but more thorough than phone scanning.

Popular scanner brands include Canon, Epson, and HP. Look for models specifically designed for photo scanning if picture quality matters most to you.

Option 3: Hire Professional Services

If you have hundreds of photos or want the absolute best results, professional digitizing services handle everything for you.

Kodak Digitizing and Capture represent two well-established companies that specialize in photo conversion. They pick up or receive your photos by mail, scan them with professional equipment, and return both the originals and digital files.

These services often include extras like color correction, scratch removal, and organizing your photos into digital albums. While more expensive than doing it yourself, professional services save enormous amounts of time and guarantee excellent results.

Getting the Best Results

Whether you choose to scan photos yourself or hire professionals, these tips ensure better outcomes:

Start with clean photos. Gently wipe dust and fingerprints off each photo with a soft, dry cloth before scanning. Avoid using water or cleaning products.

Find good lighting. Natural light from a window works best, but avoid direct sunlight that creates harsh shadows or glare.

Scan at high resolution. Set your scanner or app to at least 300 DPI (dots per inch). This captures enough detail for clear viewing and future printing.

Consider photo editing. Simple software can brighten faded colors, remove scratches, and improve contrast. Many scanning apps include basic editing tools, or you can use free programs like GIMP or paid options like Photoshop Elements.

Organizing Your Digital Collection

After scanning, organization becomes crucial for finding photos later.

Create a logical folder structure on your computer. Try organizing by year, family branch, or event type. For example: “Family Photos > 1950s > Smith Family Reunion” or “Genealogy > Johnson Line > Wedding Photos.”

Add details to your photo files. Most computers let you add information like dates, locations, and people’s names directly to photo files. This makes searching much easier later and helps other family members understand what they’re seeing.

Consider using family history software like FamilySearch, MyHeritage, or Ancestry.com to connect photos directly to family tree profiles. These platforms help you organize photos alongside other genealogy research.

Protecting Your Digital Photos

Digital files can disappear just like physical photos, so create multiple copies:

Use cloud storage. Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud automatically sync your photos across devices and keep them safe online.

Keep local backups. Store copies on an external hard drive or USB drive that you keep separate from your computer.

Share with family. Send copies to relatives who might want them. This creates natural backups and often leads to family members sharing their own photo collections with you.

Helpful Resources for Family History Research

As you digitize photos, you’ll likely want to learn more about the people and stories behind them. These websites offer excellent resources for beginning genealogists:

FamilySearch.org provides free access to billions of historical records and offers helpful research guides for beginners.

Ancestry.com combines extensive record collections with user-friendly research tools, though it requires a subscription for full access.

FindAGrave.com helps you locate cemetery records and often includes photos of headstones and family members.

Chronicling America (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov) lets you search historical newspapers for mentions of your ancestors.

The National Archives (archives.gov) offers guides for researching specific types of records and time periods.

Start Small, Think Big

Begin with just one box or album of photos. The process becomes easier with practice, and you’ll develop your own system for handling different types of photos and organizing results.

Remember that digitizing photos serves a bigger purpose than just creating computer files. You’re preserving family history for future generations and making it easier to share stories that might otherwise be lost. Every photo you save represents a connection to your family’s past and a gift to your family’s future.

Your descendants will thank you for taking the time to preserve these visual family treasures in a format they can easily access and enjoy.